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Maryland Medicare Insurance

Medicare in Maryland

Medicare offers healthcare coverage to Maryland residents age 65 or older, or to those Maryland residents that suffer from certain medical disabilities. In 2015, 930,088 people are enrolled in Medicare in Maryland, accounting for 16% of the population in Maryland. In 2009 approximately $11,449 was spent per Medicare enrollee in Maryland, about 10.46% higher than the national average of $10,365. From 2015 to 2030 the number of seniors in Maryland is projected to rise by an estimated 47.61% according to calculations based off of the 2000 Census. Therefore the number of eligible Medicare beneficiaries in the state is also expected to grow.

Local Medicare Resources

In Maryland Medicare beneficiaries and their caregivers can receive free, comprehensive, one-on-one, and unbiased health insurance counseling from the Senior Health Insurance Assistance Programs (SHIP). Additionally, the state has a Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) program which aims to educate individuals on how to identify, avoid, and report instances of Medicare fraud, errors, and/or abuse.

Types of Medicare Coverage

Individuals that qualify for Medicare can sign up for Medicare Part A (hospital services) and Part B (medical services) through the Federal government. Part A is generally paid for by paycheck deductions from their working years (or their spouse's) but most Medicare beneficiaries pay for Part B through monthly premiums unless they qualify for financial assistance. If you are eligible for Original Medicare (Parts A & B) or if you are already enrolled in it, you also have the option to enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan (Part C) instead of Original Medicare or add a stand alone prescription drug plan (Part D) to your current Original Medicare coverage. Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D insurance plans are sold by private insurance companies that have a contract with Medicare. Original Medicare offers its beneficiaries flexibility in choosing their providers and you are not limited to a network. However, there is no limit on out-of-pocket medical expenses and you must always pay 20% coinsurance for medical service costs. Many Medicare beneficiaries will elect to enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan that includes prescription drug coverage (MAPD) or purchase a stand alone prescription drug plan to go with their Original Medicare coverage. Medicare Advantage plans require you to stay in network but some plans will also cover out-of-network care at a higher cost. Additional benefits of Medicare Advantage plans such as dental, vision, or hearing coverage can help reduce out-of-pocket expenses for seniors with certain medical needs.

Maryland 2017 Medicare Advantage Plans at a glance

Using CMS data HealthPocket found that:

The average total monthly premium for a 2017 Medicare Advantage plan in Maryland is $54.69, 12.47% less than the national average of $62.48. 8.8% of 2017 Medicare Part C insurance plans in Maryland have a $0 monthly premium.

The maximum possible annual drug deductible in any 2017 Medicare Advantage plan with a drug component is $400, but in Maryland the average annual drug deductible for Medicare Part C insurance plans with drug components is $94.16. 70.79% of 2017 Medicare Part C insurance plans with a drug component in Maryland have a $0 annual drug deductible.

The average total monthly premium for a 2017 Medicare Advantage plan without a drug component in Maryland is $42.06. 30.56% of 2017 Medicare Part C insurance plans without a drug component in Maryland have a $0 monthly premium.

The average medical out-of-pocket limit for 2017 Medicare Part C insurance plans in Maryland is $5,747.20. 20% of 2017 Medicare Advantage plans in Maryland had a medical out-of-pocket limit of $3,400 or less.

The average overall CMS star rating assigned to Medicare Part C insurance plans in Maryland was 4.7 stars in 2017.

Among Maryland's 2017 Medicare Advantage plans with CMS star ratings:

60% earned a score of 5 stars

3.2% earned a score of 4 or 4.5 stars

8.8% earned a score of 3 or 3.5 stars

28% of plans are “Not enough data available” or “Too new to be measured”.

Sources:

Data on Medicare eligibility, enrollment, and spending by state from Kaiser Family Foundation

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Maryland Medicare Insurance Companies

There are 15 Medicare insurance providers that offer affordable and comprehensive Medicare insurance in Maryland. Of these, the companies that offer the largest variety of plans to choose from are Kaiser Permanente, UnitedHealthcare, and Humana. In Maryland,. The following are all medicare insurance providers in Maryland:

Best Maryland Medicare Plans for Managing Diabetes

The following are the 5 highest rated medicare plans in Maryland based on their CMS rating for the plan's ability for diabetes care including: eye exam, kidney disease monitoring, blood sugar controlled and cholesterol controlled.